Archives for April 2008

Is now the best time to pounce on refinancing options?
There is one major plus side to all the big problems on Wall Street (besides seeing Jim Cramer flip out), and thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Uncle Ben Bernanke wailing away on the Federal funds rate. This is the interest rate level at which banks lend other banks money.
A few times a year The Almighty Federal Reserve, chaired by Ã¢â‚¬ËœOle GraybeardÃ¢â‚¬ …

This might be a great potential investment given the growing trend among wealthy vacationers. It could also be a top spot for you vacation, if you're into the naked old people thing.
The photo pictured is a perfect example of the uncomfortable nude shenanigans I am inclined to want to avoid. (Cannon-balls!) However, according to an article in Sunday's New York Times, these places are where the …

Are you sick of working minimum wage at fast food places, or stocking shelves for measly pennies? Does Zoo Curator, Animator, or Loan Officer sound like a better career move? Yes it does, especially if the pay is good.
59% of employees in the United States are paid by an hourly rate. Think of how far you could make a pre-tax $800-a-week salary go from working 40 hours.
Check out this list co …

Rockstar Games' biggest franchise, Grand Theft Auto IV, breaks all the rules with an April release and more death, destruction, and hookers than ever before.
The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV is expected to sell 6 million copies within the first week, and 9 million by year's end. Unsurprisingly pre-order sales have been the driving force behind these estimates. Sites like play.com stop …

George knows things are bad, but there's no need to describe things accurately.
In spite of countless evidence confirming it, President Bush skipped around calling the current economic slump 'a recession'. Instead, according to a report by the AP, Bush said:
"It's a tough time for our economy. If there was a magic wand to wave, I'd be waving it, of course."
Of course he would be waving a magi …

A major ad-campaign on the web, TV and billboards for a fake TV show turns out to be a big ad for new LG flat-screen televisions.
The ads for 'Scarlet' were popping up on Gawker, Variety, and E!, and they all featured smokin' hot model-actress Natassia Malthe kicking-ass and blowing stuff up. Even the website, plugged in the ads, didn't give any inkling that this wasn't really a new TV series, …

Goodbye frat house, hello poor house?
If you're one of those lucky few who was able to land a job right out of college, congrats! Now, before splurging/splooging your first paycheck on a trip to Atlantic City or Las Vegas, you might want to read the rest of this.
According to an article on MainStreet.com, most people without a pre-thought-out plan end up wasting their newfound money and goin …

The defunct worst basic television station will now become the worst online video website.
The WB network, first created in 1995, as combination of bad ideas and the eventual home for Dawson's Creek, was banished from the airwaves in 2006. Well, not so much banished, as it was purposely ignored into oblivion by viewers.
The old WB and UPN (which would be equally horrible if it weren't for th …

Could mistaking chocolate M&Ms for gum-filled M&Ms soon be an alarming reality?! Will these M&Ms double team the Wrigley's Double Mint girls?!
Mars Inc., the makers of M&Ms and Snickers, bought out Wrigley to the tune of $23 Billion. Wrigley, the maker of Juicy Fruit, Lifesavers, and Altoids will act as a subsidiary, but some products will merge. Genius investor Warren Buffett's …

Miley Cyrus, 15-year-old Pop sensation and Disney Channel TV star, was photographed in some controversial photos for the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair magazine. Could this jeopardize her tour, earnings, Disney contract, or public appearance?
Although the photos seems pretty innocuous, much has been made about this story because of Cyrus' squeaky clean image. Her tour has been sold out for month …

On Wall Street, ticker symbols are used as shorthand for company names to announce stock movements and news. Many American companies try to be clever with their ticker symbols, such as Harley-Davidson Motorcycles using ticker symbol: HOG, while others are simply assigned one by the exchange they trade on. Sometimes this ends with disastrous results.
Check out some of the more interesting ones w …

The government stimulus checks are in the works as we speak. Some may receive their extra cash as early as next Friday. Happy Cinco de Mayo to them! Read onward for answers to all your questions about these soon-to-be additional funds.
Who Gets It? And How Much?
All single people earning less than $75,000 a year, will receive a check for $600, while couples earning a combined income of less …

Meet the infamous man many are saying is behind the subprime mortgage lending crisis that seems to have caused the current economic recession.
To pin all that on one man is a tall order, but Angelo Mozilo has proved to be quite a good public figure to hate for his extravagant compensation and gruesome tanning habits.
Mozilo, known in some circles as 'The Crocodile' due to his perpetual orang …

If you have an extra $175,000 and really want a torn and battered replica Ortiz jersey, you just missed the chance of a lifetime, my friend.
The auction for the Red Sox jersey found buried at the new Yankee Stadium site ended yesterday. The winning bid of $175,000 came from a car dealership owner in Mendon, Mass.
Kevin Meehan, who is a lifelong Red Sox fan, typed in 175000 and hit enter on e …

In a little one-man bike shop in California, this guy lives his life at full speed and on his own terms.
Brent Steelman has a cult following for his hand-made bicycles. In the days when ultra-light carbon fiber bikes are king, Steelman has welded out a niche for people who love the old-school steel bikes.
Once you get past the coincidence that his real name is 'Steelman' and he's the man beh …

The 'Z' button will probably control how much money you steal from the bank when Mom isn't looking.
Electronic Arts, the makers of Madden and all the other decent sports video games, are now branching out to board games with their Casual Entertainment Label of Electronic Arts. It's good to see that this company is distinguishing between the intense devotion and non-casual fandom of games like H …

Stock exchanges worldwide try to show off a little bit of their culture along with their ability to handle massive amounts of money. But not all these buildings look cool. To be honest, a lot of them look like boring warehouses full of tools.
And so we present to you a look at the 10 Coolest Stock Exchange Buildings around the globe...
10. The Bombay Stock Exchange is the oldest stock exchan …

Which stocks should you be drooling over and which should you jump the hell out of?
After a big week of 1st quarter (Jan - March) profit announcements we here at WSF help you make sense of all the big winners and losers.
Wendy's - After Dave Thomas's company publicly dissed the idea of an Arby's merger, the deal was finalized this morning. Although, both Wendy's and Arby's will remain sepera …

Why are you wasting valuable time at home? You need to go out and get some rice before it's all gone!
Over the past few months, the rising cost of rice around the world has caused hoarding and riots to break out throughout Asia.
Come on, I can understand Montreal Canadiens's fans rioting in the streets after an unimpressive first-round NHL playoff win, but starving people wanting rice? Now, …

The winning formula of adding young and attractive women to his staff, has served Rupert Murdoch well in the past. He keeps that gravy train rolling, even if that means painfully under-qualified major corporation board members.
Last month's issue of Portfolio magazine gave us a first glimpse at the 27-year-old opera singer who became the youngest board member for Murdoch' s Newscorp.
Newcorp …

The giants of online auction are battling, but it sounds a lot like name-calling.
eBay sued Craigslist.org yesterday for 'diluting' its 28% shareholder ownership of the company. Craigslist then fired back with some pointed blog postings and claimed the bad guys over at eBay were acting "unethically."
Most of the real details are confidential in these court hearings, but let's break down all …

Stuff your wallet with these new bad boys!
A few months ago, the new 5 hit the printing presses and through the magic of paper transactions and everyday commerce, these bills are finally circulating around the country and into your hands.
Here are some of the new add-ons to deter all those evil counterfeiters out there:
1. Added fine microprinting in those ornate side borders. Too bad, we …

Was it ever really 'out of style'? Apparently in those uptight 90s, it was more frowned upon, probably leading up to the dot com bubble burst or something.
According to an article in DETAILS (with an insane accompanying photo), those days of piety and restraint are long gone.
Guys like Tim, a 28-year-old married guy in from Santa Monica hooked up with some 25-year-old babe at his office duri …

In honor of Earth Day, let's take a look at a very different electric hybrid that might one day solve our high oil price problems.
The Aptera is a weird, bug-looking car that costs $30,000 and can go 300 miles on a gallon of gas. It's currently in pre-production, but preorders are available to California residents only (an attempt to minimize distribution and repairs issues).
Later this year …

Maybe leave that extra corpse at home? New extra fees for a second bag might make you rethink your packing choices.
5 of the 6 major airlines are mandating a $25 extra bag fee for a second piece of checked luggage.
The new fees imposed by Delta, Northwest, Continental, United, US Airways, and AirTran (which is charging a lower - $10 fee) are being implemented to offset rising fuel costs, and …

The guy who said 'Bueller' a few times in a monotone voice knows what he's talking about.
In addition to having been an actor, game show host (Win Ben Stein's Money), ambassador for Clear Eyes brand contacts, and speech writer for President Nixon, Ben Stein is also a financially savvy investor who writes a smart column for the New York Times on personal finance. (He also went to grammar school …

Wouldn't it be great if you could make stock market money from fantasy baseball-like research?
That could be happening soon. A minor league baseball player set up a new company called Real Sports Investments, where he sold shares of himself in exchange for a percentage of his future baseball salary.
Randy Newsom, a Tufts economics graduate and pitcher in the Cleveland Indians minor league fa …

Where does the money come from? How do they work? Are these things good for America?
Sovereign wealth funds have been in existence since the 1950s, but their growing prominence in recent high-profile transactions has many people questioning them and asking 'Is America up for sale to them?'
To set the scene, Citigroup, a major American financial services company that operates Citi Bank, was h …